Deaerating apparatus



Nov. 24, 1953 G. H. MOREHOUSE 2,660,259

DEAERATING APPARATUS Filed May 23, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. g5 626V h. Maze-House NOV. 24, 1953 o ous 2,660,259

DEAERATING APPARATUS Filed May 23, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mame v INVENTOR. G'zewu H Maze-House" I mally receiving Patented Nov. 24, 1953 DEAERATING APPARATUS Glenn H. Morehouse, Glendale, Calif., 'assignor to Morehouse Industries, Los Angeles, Calif., a

partnership Application May 23, 1950, Serial No. 163,758

, 1 i The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for producing a substantially air free compounded and milled grease product, and

'makes possible the production of a superior product by the use of a combination including a colloidal mill.

8 Claims. (01; lea-2.5)

heretofore have not been' generally utilized due to the'aerating effect. The entrained air in the material undesirably reduces its net weight per unit volume. For example; after putting the grease through the colloid mill, it was only possible to get approximately "200 pounds of the grease into a container of a size capable of nor- 400 pounds of substantially airfre-e grease. I

In order to take advantage of the advantageous featuresof a colloid mill for the working and further milling of said unctuous materials, the present invention contemplates in its broad aspect the provision of an improved process for deaerating the materials during the milling operation; and the provision of simple apparatusby' which the process may be carried out efliciently and economically.

'- Briefly the invention comprises means for conducting the milled material to a separating chamberhaving an inlet and outlet, the inlet being controlled by a regulating valve, and the outlet of the separating chamber being connected to a rotary pump. By restricting the inlet of material to the separating chamber so that a less pacity of the pump the pump will; act not only, as a pumping device for removing the material, but Will also reduce the pressure in the separating chamber below that of atmosphere so that a subamount is admitted than the full handling ca stantial vacuum will be created in the separating chamber.

The vacuum and the separating chamber will act to expand air which may be entrapped and entrained in the mixture, and by exerting a squeezing or rolling action during the pumping operation, this air is compressed and caused to Referring to the drawings, which are for illus- ;trative purposes only:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of apparatus embodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a viewschematically illustrating the sequence of various steps in the operation of the apparatus in the practice of the process;

, Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the particular pumping means utilized, portions being cut away and'shown in sectiontov disclose important details of construction and operation; th sections being ,taken substantially on line 4-4of Fig. 2; and

, Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the same, taken substantially on. line 5-5 of Fig. 4. r

, Referring generally to the drawings, the inven- .tion is shown in Figsel and 2 as applied to a col- ,loid mill as generallyindicated at Ill.

In the illustrated embodiment, the colloid mill is disclosedas being ofthe vertical type having a ,head portion II which is supported on a suitable frame structure above a driving electric motor !2 which is connected through a driving shaft assembly l3 operatively connected withrelatively .movable grinding stones or plates 54 and :5.

,In the operation of the. colloid milLthe ma,- terials to be mixed are compounded by subjec- .tion to the action ofthe plates M and i5, and introduced through an inlet 16. The materials are thendischarged froma discharge spout ll. Manufacturers of greases and other productsin ,which it is desired to mix and compound ma- ,terials such as soaps, lubricants and ,the like, have found that colloid mills are admirably suited to thecompounding operation, and result in substantial savings because of the more complete dispersion obtained, whereby it is, possible to utilize, less. material and still obtain the same quality of product. Heretofore, the difficulty has been that the utilization of colloidmills for this purpose has resulted in the product becoming undesirablyaerated. It is with the problem of removing the air from the product, that the present invention is primarily concerned.

For completing themilling process, apparatus is provided for-removing the air ,from the mix: ture discharged from the colloid mill II]. More specifically, the material discharged from the spout I1 is collected in a tank It supportedon a suitable framework, generally indicated at l9.

This tank |8 has an inclined wall 20which is positioned to receive theflow of material from the discharge spout ll andprovide. a smooth flow thereof into the tank with aminimum ofv agitation and with little or noairentrapment, as

compared to the results obtained where the ma terial upon discharge is free to fall under gravity into the tank.

From the tank is, the material is conducted through a conduit 2| to the receiving inlet 22 of a separator 23, a regulating valve 24 being positioned in the conduit 2| between the tank outlet and separator inlet 22 for variably restricting the flow of material to the separator, for a purpose which will subsequently be explained.

The separator 23 provides a vertically disposed chamber having a screen or foraminous member 25 therein for breaking up the material flow from the inlet 22 to an outlet 26 of the separator.

The outlet 25 of the separator is connected to an inlet 21 of a rotary pump 28, this pump being operatively connected and driven by .an electric motor 29, as shown in Fig. l. The details of the rotary pump will subsequently be described.

A pump outlet 30 is connected with a conduit 3| having a branch connection 32 which forms a bypass for conducting all or a part of the material from the pum back into the tank l8, control of bypassed material being obtained by means of a gate valve 33.

The conduit 31 also connects with another branch connection 34 through which the deaerated product is discharged, control of flow to the branch connection 34 being by means of a gate valve 35.

The apparatus described above is schematically illustrated in Fig. 3, and if desired, an additional gate valve control may be placed as indicated at 36 in the conduit 2| between the valve 24 and inlet to the separation chamber, by which additional control of the flow of material to the separation chamber may be obtained.

In carrying out my improved process for the milling of greases and the like, to remove entrained or entrapped air therefrom, so as to obtain a substantially air-free product, my invention contemplates that the pressure within the separator 23 will be reduced to a value below atmosphere, for example a vacuum of 26 inches Hg. This reduced pressure causes an expansion of the entrapped or entrained air, and it has been found that if the material can beremoved from the separator with a squeezing action, the air as thus expanded will be compressed and forced to move through and ahead of the material, whereby a substantially air-free product is obtained.

For producing the required vacuum in the separator, and the squeezing or rolling action ofv the material containing expanded air, I have utilizeda rotary pump 28 in which a pump housing 31 is divided into a pair of. cylindrical bores 38 and S9,,respectively, which are interconnected through a common passage 40..

The cylindrical bores 38 and 39 have oper atively associated therewith helical rotors 4| and 42 which are secured to shafts 43 and 44 for rotation therewith, these shafts being interconnected by timing gears 45 and '46. The shaft 44 is extended and has a driving connection with the motor 29 through a suitable coupling 41.

As shown in Fig. 4, the helical rotors 4| and 42 are of double-helical, construction with pro- :iections 48 and recesses 49 forming in effect a herring-bone arrangement in which the projection on one rotor will be moved into the recess of the other rotor as the pump is operated. By

driving the pump so that the rotor 4| travels in a counterclockwise direction, and the rotor 42 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 5, the unmeshing of the helical projections of one rotor with the helical recesses of the other rotor will create a suction at the inlet 21. At the outlet 3i], the material carried around in the helical rotor recesses formed between the walls of the cylinder bores and the rotor projections is positively and gradually displaced against the discharge pressure by the meshing of the helical rotors.

By regulating the valve 24 to restrict the inlet to the separator 23, the inlet capacity is reduced below the full operating capacity of the pump 28, and under such conditions the pump 28 will not only remove the material from the separator chamber, but will also function to reduce the pressure in the separator chamber as mentioned above. By the rolling and squeezing action of the rotors 4| and 42, as a result of their meshing on the outlet side of the pump, the expanded air in the material is compressed and forced through the material so as to cause a separation of the air and material. At the discharge point of the product, the product and air will be discharged in intermittent spurts, that is, a slug of grease, then a slug of air, etc. In disassembling the conduits on the discharge side of the pump, the product is found to be formed in a layer on the pipe interior with a central open core through which the air appears to pass. In any event, the process produces a product which is substantially air-free, thus enabling the'manufacturer to utilize a colloid mill for the compounding and mixing of the materials in the product, and effectively and efiiciently remove any air which may have been entrapped or entrained during the mixing or compounding.

The branch connection 32 is utilized where it is desired to return all or a part of the material to the tank for running through the separator chamber again. By subsequent passages, it is possible to regulate the amount of air or extent to which air has been removed from the product.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for de-aerating a product such as grease or the like comprising: a chamber having an inlet and outlet for said mixed materials; means for adjustably restricting inlet flow to said chamber; rotary pumping means connected at its inlet to the chamber outlet, and including rotors having helical projections and helical recesses actuated so as to move into unmeshed relation on the inlet side of the pump and meshed relation on the outlet side of the pump; means operating said pumping means at such speed with relation to the flow of mixed materials into said chamber as to create a vacuum in the said chamber and in the inlet of said pumping means, to effect separation of air from said materials and discharge of the materials and the separated air from the pump outlet; and a by-pass for conducting mixture from the pump outlet back to the chamber inlet.

2. Apparatus for de-aerating a product such as grease or the like comprising: a chamber having an inlet and outlet for said mixed materials; means for adjustably restricting'inlet flow to said chamber; rotary pumping means connected at its inlet to the chamber outlet, and including rotors having herring-bone double helical projections and double helical recesses actuated so as to move into unmeshed relation on the inlet side of the pump and meshed relation on the outlet side of the pump means operating said 2,eeo,259

pumping means at such speed with relation to the flow of mixed materials into said chamber as to create a vacuum in the said chamber and in the inlet of said pumping means, to effect separation of air from said materials and discharge of the materials and the separated air from the pump outlet.

3. Apparatus for ole-aerating a product such as grease or the like comprising: a chamber having an inlet and outlet for said mixed materials; means for adjustably restricting inlet flow to said chamber; vacuum pumping means connected at its inlet to the chamber outlet, and including rotors having helical projections and helical recesses actuated so as to move into unmeshed relation on the inlet side of the pump and meshed relation on the outlet side of the pump; and means operating said pumping means at such speed with relation to the flow of mixed materials into said chamber as to create a vacuum in the said chamber and in the inlet of said pumping means, to efiect separation of air from said mixture and discharge of the mixture and the separated air from the pump outlet.

4. Apparatus for de-aerating a product such as grease or the like comprising: a chamber having an inlet and outlet for said mixed materials; means in said chamber to break up the flow of the mixed materials; means for adjustably restricting inlet flow to said chamber; vacuum pumping means connected at its inlet to the chamber outlet, and including rotors having helical projections and helical recesses actuated so as to move into unmeshed relation on the inlet side of the pump and meshed relation on the outlet side of the pump; and means operating said pumping means at such speed with relation to the flow of mixed materials into said chamber as to create a vacuum in the said chamber and in the inlet of said pumping means, to

effect separation of air from said mixture and discharge of the mixture and the separated air from the pump outlet.

5. In means for tie-aerating a product such as milled grease or the like: wall means forming a path of flow to receive the product and entrained air; a vacuum pump connected to said path of flow to move both the product and. the air by suction through said path of flow; means for driving said pump; flow restricting means in said path of flow upstream from said vacuum pump adapted to create a vacuum in said path of flow and the inlet of said pump; and means in said path of flow between said flow restricting means and said pump adapted to break up the flow of said product.

6. In apparatus for continuously de-aerating a product such as grease or the like: a chamber having an inlet and outlet for the product; means for restricting inlet flow to said chamber; rotary pumping means connected at its inlet to the chamber outlet, and including rotors having herring-bone double helical projections and double helical recesses actuated so as to move into unmeshed relation on the inlet side of the pump and meshed relation on the outlet side of the pump; and means operating said pumping means at such speed with relation to the flow of product into said chamber as to create a vacuum in the said chamber and in the inlet of said pumping means to effect separation of air from said product and discharge of the product and the separated air from the pump outlet.

7. In apparatus for continuously de-aerating a product such as grease or the like: a chamber having an inlet and outlet for the product; means for restricting inlet flow to said chamber; rotary pumping means connected at its inlet to the chamber outlet, and including rotors having herring-bone double helical projections and double helical recesses actuated so as to move into unmeshed relation on the inlet side of the pump and meshed relation on the outlet side of the pump; means in said chamber to break up the flow of the product which is moving therein;

. and means operating said pumping means at such speed with relation to the flow of product into said chamber as to create a vacuum in the said chamber and in the inlet of said pumping means to effect separation of air from said product and discharge of the product and the separated air frcin the pump outlet.

8. In means for continuously de-aerating a product such as milled grease or the like: wall means forming a path of flow to receive the product and entrained air; a vacuum pump connected to said path of flow to move both the product and the air by suction through said path of flow; means for driving said pump; and flow restricting means in said path of flow upstream from said vacuum pump adapted to create a vacuum in said path of flow and in the inlet of said pump when the pump is in operation to effect expansion of the air contained in the product, whereby the product and separated air will be discharged from the outlet of the pump.

GLENN H. MOREHOUSE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,396,376 McFadden Nov. 8, 1921 1,577,052 Auspitzer Mar. 16, 1926 1,584,126 North May 11, 1926 1,671,868 McGougan et al. May 29, 1928 1,727,417 Soule Sept. 10, 1929 2,121,633 Hartman et al. June 1, 1938 2,148,608 De Stubner Feb. 28, 1939 2,183,763 Brown Dec. 19, 1939 2,257,945 Frazer Oct. 7, 1941 2,435,884 Galewski Feb. 10, 1948 

